Bucks’ loss to Wall makes win over Clyde vital for playoff spot

After Friday’s loss to Wall, the Breckenridge Buckaroos varsity football team needs a win against the Clyde Bulldogs this week to get into the playoffs, and the community will have a bonfire tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 7, to cheer them on.

The bonfire, which is not a Breckenridge school district-sanctioned event, will begin at 8 p.m. at the northeast corner of the baseball fields.

Clyde and Breckenridge are tied with 1-3 district records, while Early High School is at 0-4 and is scheduled to play the Wall Hawks this week.

Rounding out the district are Eastland and Jim Ned, which are tied at 3-1 and play each other in Eastland this week.

Last week

Although Breckenridge lost to Wall last week, it wasn’t an easy win for the Hawks.

“They played their butts off,” Breckenridge Head Coach Casey Hubble said about the Buckaroos. “I’m unbelievably proud of them, as a coach, I’ve got to find a way to help us win those games now. I’ve got to find a way to do that, because our kids are showing up and putting it in, and we’ve just got to find a way.”

Buckaroo Justin Bell celebrates a Breckenridge touchdown in last Friday’s game against Wall.(Photo by Tony Pilkington/ Breckenridge Texan)

Wall made the first score with a touchdown at the 9:10 mark in the first quarter, but the Buckaroos answered that almost immediately with a touchdown with 8:49 left in the quarter. Kevin Franco made a 64-yard pass to Kyler Knight, who ran it in for the score. The extra point kick was blocked, and less than four minutes into the game, the score was Buckaroos 6, Hawks 7.

A few minutes later, Wall scored again, and at the end of the first quarter, the Hawks were leading 14-6. A safety at 5:03 in the second quarter put the Buckaroos behind by 6 points with a score of 14-8 in favor of the Hawks.

With only 13 seconds left in the first half, the Buckaroos scored another touchdown when Franco handed the ball off to Angel Ruiz, who ran it in. The extra point kick by Justin Bell was good, putting Breckenridge ahead of Wall 15-14 as the teams went to halftime.

In the third quarter, the Hawks scored a touchdown with 4:41 on the clock. A two-point conversion took the score to 22-15 in Wall’s favor.

The score was tied 22-22 when Ruiz ran in a touchdown and Bell made the extra point with 2:04 left in the third quarter.

That score remained the same until 2:16 in the fourth quarter when the Hawks scored again, making the score Wall 28, Breckenridge 22.

For the rest of the game, the Buckaroos had the ball. They got the ball down to the Hawks’ 16-yard-line with 2 seconds left to go. As Franco got ready to make the final pass, he was sacked, ending the game with a loss for Breckenridge.

Following the game, Hubble said, “I’m proud of them…football is just like life, just because you work hard, you don’t always get it. But, I believe there are rewards for people who show up and put it in and work. We live in a world of instant gratification, but football doesn’t work that way. So, there are rewards for people who can put it in every week, like we do, and we haven’t got to see much of those rewards. But, these young men will get to, and we’re gonna show up and go back to work tomorrow.”

This week’s game

Breckenridge will play the Clyde High School Bulldogs on Friday, Nov. 9, in Buckaroo Stadium for the final game of the regular season. It will be “Senior Night” and the annual light show for the Pride of Breckenridge-Buckaroo Band. Kick-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Immediately after the Wall game, Hubble acknowledged the importance of the upcoming Clyde game. “Next week is our game,” he said. “We’ve got to win to get in the playoffs, so it will be a big week.”

Clyde has an overall record of 3-6 and a district record of 1-3 this year. The only district competitor both teams have beaten has been the Early Longhorns.

Breckenridge has a winning record against Clyde in recent years, having won five of the last eight games. Their last matchup was in 2014 when the Buckaroos beat the Bulldogs, 23-16, in Weatherford for the Bi-District championship.

The district

With a district record of 4-0, the Wall Hawks are secure in their top spot in the district, even if they lose to Early on Friday. However, the Jim Ned Indians and the Eastland Mavericks are tied at 3-1, meaning this week’s game between them will determine the second and third place teams in the district.

That leaves the Breckenridge-Clyde game to determine which team is the fourth playoff team for the district. The winner of Friday night’s game will play the number one team of District 4-3A Division I, a title the Brock High School Eagles have already claimed.

Buckaroos Rance Russell (No. 52) and Jake Escalon (No. 15) take down one of the Wall Hawks in Friday night’s game. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)